Wire-polishing apparatus



March 20, 1934. c JOHNSON 1,951,548

WIRE POLISHING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 21, 1932 Charles Ddohnson b mw w ATTys.

Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIRE-POLISHIN G APPARATUS setts Application December 21, 1932, Serial No. 648,264

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for polishing wire and has for its object to provide a novel device for this purpose which comprises a rotary polishing member, preferably of wood or some other similar material, which is provided with a wire-receiving groove and means to produce a relative movement between said polishing member and the wire in the general direction of the length of the wire while maintaining the wire in a portion of said groove and at the same time supplying the groove with abrasive or polishing material.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawing a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a wire-polishing apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1 with parts broken out;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 33, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the manner in which the polishing material is applied to the wire.

In the drawing the wire to be polished is indicated at l and it is shown as being drawn from a reel or coil of wire 2. The polishing operation is accomplished by means of a rotary polishing member 3, preferably made of wood, although it might be made of some other suitable polishing material, which is provided with a peripheral wire-receiving groove 4.

In carrying out the wire-polishing operation the wire is laid in a portion of the groove and then the wire and the polishing member are given a relative movement in the direction of the length of the wire so that the wire will be drawn through said groove and at the same time said polishing member is rotated rapidly and suitable polishing material is supplied to the groove. The polishing material fills the portion of the groove occupied by the Wire so that the portion of the wire received in the groove is embedded in the polishing material and the effect is that of drawing the wire through a bed of the polishing material.

Sufficient polishing material is maintained between the bottom of the groove and the wire so that the wire does not contact with or rub on the bottom of the groove but rather passes through the body of polishing material which fills the portion of the groove occupied by the wire.

In the preferred form of my invention I employ a plurality of similar polishing members arranged so that the wire passes successively from one to the other so that in the passage through the apparatus the wire will receive a plurality of polishing operations. 7

Where a plurality of polishing members are thus used it is possible to employ polishing material of difierent degrees of fineness in connection with different polishing members, the finest polishing material being employed with the last polishing member, thereby producing a superior polish on the wire.

In the device herein illustrated there are four polishing members which are arranged coaxially so that they all rotate about a common axis and which are indicated at 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d respectively. As herein shown the polishing members are all mounted upon a common shaft 5 so that they rotate in unison and the shaft may be driven by any suitable means, such as a gear 6 mounted thereon.

Where the polishing members are arranged coaxially I propose to so guide the wire 1 to be polished that it will have contact with both sides of each polishing member thereby receiving two polishing operations from each member.

As shown in the drawing the wire passes from the supply reel 2, into the groove 4 of the lowest polishing member 311 for a short distance and thence around a direction pulley '7 and back' in contact with said lower polishing member 3a on the other side thereof. The wire then passes around a direction pulley 8 which is placed on an inclined axis so that as the wire leaves the direction pulley 8 it will be positioned to enter the groove of the second polishing member 3b and after passing by said member the wire passes around another direction pulley 9 and thence in contact with the opposite side of said. polishing member 3b. The wire then passes around another direction pulley 10 similar to the pulley 8 which guides the wire into a position to pass through the groove 4 of the polishing member 30, thence around another direction pulley 11 and then back in contact with the opposite side or the polishing member 30, and thence around another direction pulley 12 which leads the wire which the wire passes to a wire straightener 14 and then is wound up on a suitable reel 15.

The reel 15 is positively rotated so as to wind the wire thereon and the rotation of said reel or drum 15 serves to draw the wire through the apparatus in the direction of the arrows in Figs. "1

The wire is shown as threaded through these pulleys in such a way that it is crossed between each direction pulley and the polishing members although this crossing is not essential.

1|; These direction pulleys may be mounted in any the surface of said member with which the wire contacts is moving in a direction opposite to the suitablev or approved way. In the construction shown the direction pulleys '7, 9, 1'1 and 13 are mounted on a common shaft 16 which is secured in a suitable bracket 1'7. The inclined pulleys 8, 10 and 12 are each carried in a yoke 18 and the yokes are mounted in a suitable upright or stand The direction of movement of the wire and the direction of rotation of the polishing members are indicated by the arrows in the drawing and from these it will be seen that the rotation of each polishing member is in such a direction that movement of the wire.

As stated above suitable means are provided for supplying a polishing material to the grooves 4:01? the polishing members and the portions of the wire which are in engagement with the pol:- ishingmembers. For this purpose each polishing member has associated with it a flange 20 which extends beyond the polishing member and which is provided on its periphery with an upstanding curb 21. Each flange 20 carries a suitable amount of. polishing material 22.

Means are provided for supplying the polishing material oneach flange to the groove 4 of the polishmg member at a point adjacent where the wire leaves the groove. Since the rotation of the polishing member is in such a direction that the surface of the polishing member is moving in a direction oppositeto that of the wire, the rotation of the polishing member will tend to carry with it the polishing material which has been supplied to the groove so that the portion of the wire occupying the groove is passing through a body of polishing material which fills the groove.

For the purpose of thus supplying the polishing material'to thegroove I have provided plow members 23 which are in the form of blades that extend diagonally across the space between the curb 21 of each flange and the corresponding polishing member as best seen in Fig. 1. I

The rotation of the polishingmember and it flange will cause the polishing material 22 to pile up in front of the plow 23 and the mass of polishing. material which is thus banked up in front of the plow will be high enough so that the polishing material will fill the groove 4 at this point. As

a the polishing material accumulates in front of the plow it will spill over the plow onto the flange back ofthe plow and willthen be carried around by the flange. The plow 23, therefore, serves to keep the groove 4 filled with polishing material at the point 24 just beyond the place where the wire leaves the groove.

The rotation of the polishing member in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1 has a tendency to carry the polishing material in the groove past the wire and as the polishing material is delivered to the groove at a point which is not occupied by the wire the said groove becomes filled with polishing material at this point and the rotation of the polishing member will thus carry a bed of polishing material along the wire. The polishing material prevents the wire from actually engaging the bottom of the groove so that the wire does not wear the polishing member but the effect is that of drawing .the wire through a bed of polishing material.

During the operation of the apparatus there is a stream of polishing material being discharged from each groove 4 at'the point 25 where the wire enters the grove or where the groove leaves the wire in its travel as shown in Fig. 4.

. Where the wire is threaded up so as to pass in contact with each polishing member on both sides thereof I propose to use two plows 23 as shown in Fig. 1 and each polishing member thus subjects the wire to two polishing operations.

Each plow is shown as carried by an arm 26 whichis-mounted on a post 27. There are two suchposts and eachpost has a plow for each polishing member mounted thereon.

Each plow is shown as having a horizontal flange 28 which prevents the polishing material from spilling over the curb 21.

I claim:

1-. A- wire-polishing apparatus comprising a rotary polishing member having a peripheral wirereceiving groove, means to produce a relative mo tion between the, polishing member and the wire to be polished in the general direction of the length of the wire, and. with the wire occupying a portion of said groove, means to rotate said polishing member during such relative movement, and means rendered operative by the rotative movement of the polishing member to supply said groove with polishing material. 2. A wire-polishing member having a peripheral wire-receiving groove, means to draw the wire to be polished through a portion of said groove, means to rotate said polishing member while the wire is so drawn, and means rendered operative by the rotative movement of the polishing member to supply the groove with polishing material.

3. A wire-polishing member having a peripheral wire-receiving groove, means to draw the wire to be polished through a portion of said groove, means to rotate said polishing member in such a direction that the portion of the polishing member with which the wire engages moves in a direction opposite to that of the wire, and means rendered operative by the rotation of the polishing member to supply said groove with polishing material.

'4. A rotatable wire-polishing member having a peripheral wire-receiving groove, means to draw the wire to be polished through a portion of said groove, means to rotate said polishing member in a direction to cause the portion of the polishing member with which the wire engages to move in a direction opposite to that of the wire, and means rendered operative by the rotation of the polishing member to supply said groove with polishing material at the point where the wire leaves the groove.

5. A wire-polishing apparatus comprising a rotary polishing member rotatable about a vertical axis and having a peripheral wire-receiving groove and an outwardly-extending flange below the groove adapted to receive polishing material, means to rotate the polishing member,

tical axis and having a wire-receiving groove and also having an outwardly-directed flange below the groove to receive polishing material, means to draw the wire to be polished through a portion of said groove, means 'to rotate the polishing draw the wire tobe polished through a portion,

of said grove, means to rotate the polishing member in a direction to cause the portion of the polishing member with which the wire engages to move in a direction opposite to that of the Wire,

and a plow acting on the polishing material on the flange and supplying said polishing material to the groove at the point where the wire leaves the groove.

CHARLES D. JOHNSON. 

